This invention relates to a docking system apparatus for receiving a computer and connecting the computer to remote electronics through an electrical interface cable.
Docking systems have been used to interface portable computers such as laptop, notebook, palmtop, and handheld computers to electronic peripherals such as computer monitors, optical disk drives, full-size keyboards, pointing devices such as trackballs or mice, digital cameras, and other devices. Many types and styles of docking systems, such as, for example, port replicators, enhanced port replicators, mini-docks, full docking stations, and cable docks, have been developed to interface with portable computers.
These docking systems have several common features, and consequently several common limitations. For example, port replicators are limited to the connectors built into them, such as, for example, PS2 keyboard and mouse connectors, serial connectors, parallel connectors, Universal Serial Bus (USB) connectors, audio input and output connectors, and video connectors, and thus have no expansion capability. If a computer user desires to add a peripheral such as an Ethernet connection to a computer network, or a faster graphics processor, the user would be unable to add such capability through the port replicator. Further, port replicators typically connect directly to the back of a portable computer, while multiple peripherals are connected via interface cables directly to the back of the port replicator. Consequently, the surface upon which the computer is resting often appears cluttered and unsightly due to a tangle of interface cables connected to the port replicator.
Similarly, enhanced port replicators, mini-docks, and full docking stations have the same problem as the port replicator described above in that the surface upon which the computer and enhanced port replicator is resting may have an unsightly and cluttered appearance due to multiple cables attached to the back of the enhanced port replicator. In addition, because enhanced port replicators, mini-docks, and full docking stations do have some expansion capability, they are larger and bulkier than the port replicator, thus compounding the problem of clutter.
xe2x80x9cCable docksxe2x80x9d attempt to address the problems of providing the ability for the user to expand or upgrade the capabilities of the portable computer, while eliminating the unsightly tangle of cables cluttering the users work surface by providing an interface cable that connects on one end to a portable computer, and on the other end to a remote case or xe2x80x9ccable dockxe2x80x9d that provides expansion and upgrade capabilities similar to that of the full docking station. However, while the cable dock can be placed remotely from the users workspace, a user often has the need to frequently connect and disconnect peripheral devices such as keyboards and mice to and from the cable dock when connecting or disconnecting the portable computer to or from the cable dock. Keyboards and mice have relatively short cables. Consequently, because these devices are preferably very close to the user, the cable dock must also be relatively close to the user when the user connects such devices to the cable dock. Consequently, the cable dock often ends up back on the user""s work surface or desk, with a clutter of cables connected to the back of the cable dock.
Therefore, what is needed is an apparatus for connecting a portable computer to multiple peripherals that not only eliminates the problem of cluttering the user""s workspace with a tangle of cables and a bulky docking system, but also allows quick and easy connection and disconnection of peripheral devices, such as a mouse, trackball, or full size keyboard that the user keeps with the portable computer.
The present invention of a docking system is embodied in a portable computer receiving tray and interface cable having the capability to connect a large variety of portable computers, such as, for example, laptops, notebooks, palmtops or handheld computers, to a remote expansion and upgrade box, such as a cable dock. The interface cable can be used with or without the receiving tray, and as such, it can connect directly to the receiving tray, or to the portable computer on one end, and to the cable dock on the other end. Further, both the receiving tray and the interface cable may have at least one integrated auxiliary connector for directly connecting peripherals. In addition, the receiving tray may have at least one internal computer peripheral expansion bay either integrated into the tray, or provided via a removable tray expansion module.